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Day two the adventure continues for the Tween, Teen and the peeps that paid for it all in the city of light.

What to do on a sunny, unseasonably warm November day? Is it bad form to mention this when Paris is in the mist of a cold wave in Feb.? The peeps ask what is the plan? I love making plans and of course breaking them. Today the plan was Montmartre.

Winding trails, a man sticking out of wall, and of course petition girls and that was all in the first hour. Add in a headless saint, the lovely I love you wall, and a bust of a singer with a very shiny body part and that is before we hit the tourist Mecca of Place du tertre. We took the back way in getting off the Metro at the Abbesses stop. It is one of the few original art nouveau stations left and worth the stop just to see this. We wandered our way on the back streets past where the artists used to live. There were all types of learning moments for those younger peeps today. As the tween was heard saying later about a photograph taken that day: “Some famous dude lived here for a while in that second apartment to the right. He went crazy later” Ok probably should have spent more time on that moment. Ditto on Utrillo. She seems to think that all 10 years old back then were made to drink so they would paint better. Really? I have no idea where she picked up that untrue fact on our tour? I am blaming the other peep.

Back to our walking tour. When we saw a church that looked interesting we went in. The second oldest church in Paris and the last part of the abbey that stood on this land has some great stain glass windows and unlike the big tourist attraction up on the hill you can take pictures here. The teen said it made he feel so humble. Wow a teen feeling humble.

Speaking of the hill and the tourist mecca, I read all the TA reports saying just ignore the petition girls. Walk right by them. So a group of young girls came up to me and in French start asking for something. In true I know what to do spirit I ignore them and keep walking. Yeah Me! But then they go to the other peep. You know the one that has not read all the TA warnings. I am like Oh no here we go. But wait they do not want him to sign anything. They are only tourists just like us. They only want him to take their picture I honestly never really looked at them. I just kept walking. So said peep takes their pic. I recover in time to ask if they will then take our pic. Which of course they nicely do and it is my screen saver today. Lessons learned don’t be so paranoid to not stop and smell the roses or take another tourist picture. (We did see lots of pushy petition girls here so the idea of just walking past did come in handy later in the day just saying).

Montmartre has lots of photo opps. How cool is it to stand in the exact same spot where a famous painting took place? (Oh wait we are in Paris this is an everyday event) So who is counting on the 2700 pictures I took on our trip? I also have this thing for road signs, and Paris has some of the best. My favorite is right by the last standing small vineyard in town. It shows a man running away and a cop shooting him. It has the words SAUF on it. I believe that says HALT? Do gangs run rapid in the middle of Montmartre? Are they afraid someone is going to steal a grape? Do any of you TA folks know the answer to this puzzle?

I could have wandered around all day but those other peeps wanted rations so it was off to find food. More on our food choices later but the peeps settled on crepes and hot dogs, and ham and cheese sandwiches. Not fine dining but it was fast and easy. Have to say in Chi-town no self respecting hot dog lover would ever eat one with cheese on it. It is just not done. They only seem to come this way here. So when in Paris (the tween picked her cheese off)

Big believer in letting the younger peeps pick things of interest unless it means going back to the hotel for the free WIFI to text every known person in the Midwest to shout out “I am in Paris”! But I digress…. High on the teen’s list was going to the Pere Lachaise cemetery. You know teens, into all things remotely scary (unless it involves what is probably growing on the floor of their dirty bedroom and cleaning that up) so off we go to the cemetery. It was a ways out on the Metro but we found it without any problems. That is where the fun begins.

Why doesn’t that other type of peep every look at a map? You know who you are out there. We had guide books with maps. (I know very old school of us but we are old and the other peeps are in school). Is it just something in your DNA? We were completely lost in a cemetery which was freaking the Princess Tween out. All the broken crypts and late Nov. day was perfect to set the tone. Unfortunately that was not the tone we wanted for the tween. Finally the real adult peep in the group said “Let’s follow the noise”. Yes when in doubt follow the other tourists and they will lead you to the Promised Land or at least to Jim Morrison’s grave. Other stops along the way to see cool and interesting graves and read the info in one of our handy guide books with us. It was educational and scary what more can a mom want for her peeps?

On the way out a truck is coming down the road. The workers tell us to get out of the road so they can pass. We do and actually touch (wait for it)……… gasp the grass. You know how this ends don’t you? Then these same workers come over to yell at us for actually touching the grass. The options walk in the road or touch the grass? Not sure what they wanted us to do? Yes tourists. We can never get it right.

So ends anther fun filled and educational day for the peeps in the city of Light. Hopefully I will get the third day done before the tween is headed to college. Thanks to all you TA folks for all the advice. It really helped.

HI glad you liked the report. Actually it was a different sign. Same image on the bottom but only had a circle with the white line above it. So do folks go around changing street signs in Paris? Interesting. Still a fun sign.

So just had a chance to really look at the link with the picture of the cops shooting the person. Looks like this person did it as a work of art? We also saw the Eiffel tower being pulled by a tow truck on a road sign was this the same thing? Interesting that they let these fake pictures stay on signs. It looked very official to me.

I don't really know for sure. I'm hoping one of the real Paris experts will comment. I first noticed the images of people on the do not enter signs in Rome, and here's one explanation for those. Maybe your shooter sign is something similar?

Well Essex I will tell the teen and tween to pull up the big boy pants if we get a chance to write the rest of our journey. Pesty thing like work, school, etc keeps getting in the way. Sorry it was not as amusing. Funny the teen was rambling so on his musings I had to tell him to be knock it off so I could actually write it down. You know how teens are. They either are zoned out with earphones on & texting or they go on and on and on......and on and on and did I say on? Wonder where he gets it from :)

As for the signs I learned now that there is an artist, Clet Abraham that is from Paris but now lives in Florence. These look to be his work. He also did the Jesus on the cross one I saw by the Eiffel Tower. I saw his man carrying a board all over the place. I thought it was real. Silly tourists! Wish I would have seen the one with someone looking at his rearview mirror. If that happened here in the states they would replace the signs. Of course art is everywhere in Paris.

Hey Essex not upset at all! (if you were playing along at home you might remember from day one of this way too long saga that sarcasm runs rapid in this crew)

Actually I am shocked anyone would read this tale and be nice enought to comment. I can't even get the other adult peep in my house to read it. He says he lived it no need to relive it again.

I am so glad to find out the mystery of the road signs. Wish I would have known they were art from the get go I would have tried to find more. So if anyone knows of any others please let me know. Hopefully can see them on the next visit. .